Bowsers Gone Berserk
by Dekadeci
Summary: Bowser and his son have kidnapped Peach and Daisy, and this time it's off with everyone's heads! Can Toad and Yoshi rescue the two princesses before they're all on the hit list? Rated T for implied deaths, attempted executions, and the future to come.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Nintendo and/or any of its settings, games, and/or premises. This plot is entriely my own, though, and Acamis all mine.

Note: This is a rather doom-filled premise, in which Mario and Luigi are already dead. Basically, Bowser's going to be executing everyone on his list, one week at a time. If you wanted Mario and/or Luigi, sorry, they're dead. If you wanted Toad and/or Yoshi, though, that's another story entirely. (That last clause is not supposed to be taken literally.)

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**Chapter 1**

"Oh, sheesh," Toad said disappointedly as he looked on the castle walls. They were plastered with signs proclaiming, "Execution List by Bowser". "Why must they be so commonplace? Shouldn't everyone know already, especially since it's been two weeks and the Mario Bros. are already dead?"

"Nope," said Acamis, a fellow green-spotted Toad who was also one of Peach's attendants. "Nobody can memorize the whole list, especially since it's 1500 names long. Besides, aren't you close to being next?"

"What, me?" Toad asked in surprise. "Bowser thinks I'm that annoying?"

"Sorry, but yes, he does. Look at that! You're sixth on the list!"

The two Toads looked, and then cringed in fear.

"I thought that Mario and Luigi being dead were bad enough, but Yoshi's next! So are Baby Mario and Baby Luigi!" Toad cried. "At least Peach's still here and not close to being dead…"

"But she's still kidnapped," Acamis replied. "And we can't rescue her or Princess Daisy if we're going to drop like flies."

"I know. It'll be insane, especially for me. Should we watch the execution and hope that Yoshi's still alive by the end of it?"

"Perhaps, but he'll probably die. Mario and Luigi already gave up the ghost, poor guys."

The two of them walked to the execution booth. They were just in time, as Bowser was giving out his orders.

"And you're to supervise him for as long as you can just in case he doesn't drown," Bowser commanded. "Agreed?"

"Agreed," the executioner replied as he watched the green Yoshi tread water.

Yoshi felt quite lonely as he treaded water.

"Why oh why must I be next?" Yoshi muttered to himself. "At least they're pretty soft on me. I can swim forever, and they're bound to stop supervising me."

"Don't say that, or I'll guard you for even longer," the executioner snapped as he overheard Yoshi's comment.

"Yeesh," Yoshi murmured. "Aren't I supposed to know you? I think Mario told me about you…"

"So?" the executioner replied as he hovered over the swimming pool. "I'm just trying to stay alive. And I can't see why Bowser insisted on death by exhaustion and drowning for you, Yoshi. That's pretty silly, if you ask me."

"Drown! Drown! Drown!" Bowser Jr. taunted from the window.

"Dear me," Toad remarked as he watched Yoshi swim. "I hope it isn't drowning for me, because I can't swim."

"And I hope I won't be electrocuted," Acamis replied. "I've heard that's savage, since much of the time it doesn't kill you instantly. Even worse, my name is actually on the list. I know I'm 1349th, but that's still on the list."

"Should we keep on watching?" Toad asked.

"I can't seem to bother to watch," Acamis responded. "He'll probably die, anyway."

Toad was about to drone on in defence of his friend, but he decided not to bother, as it probably was not worth it. Though Acamis soon left, Toad just waved goodbye and watched Yoshi do the backstroke.

_Will Yoshi survive, or will he die just like my other friends?_ Toad thought to himself as he looked sorrowfully at the pool.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Paper Mario. There's one of the characters from this game in this chapter, and I don't own him, either. I also don't own Flower Fields. 

Note: As should have been implied from all my fanfics, the relationship between Mario and Baby Mario (and thus Luigi and Baby Luigi) is not the game canon version. Just watch out for that.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 2**

Three weeks from his almost-execution, Yoshi was at home again, muttering to himself as he made a Yoshi-egg omelette for himself and Toad.

"The house is a lot more empty without everyone," Yoshi said.

"Yeah, it is," Toad replied. "I still miss Mario and the rest. At least the babies weren't traumatized by their parents' deaths for long…"

"They shouldn't have been on the list, though," Yoshi responded. "I mean, they were only little kids, and they didn't threaten Bowser's rule or anything!"

"Mario and Luigi must have lasting legacies, though. Say, how were you almost executed again? I forgot, seeing how traumatic things are lately."

"Aw, heck, that?" Yoshi complained. "Fine, but this is the last time I'm repeating it. I had to swim to exhaustion, and thus drowning and death. Luckily, the executioner got tired, and so did Bowser, so I was let go after 12 hours' straight of swimming. I think I got lucky that time, even though I got bumped down to No. 1501. I'm not sure if you will be, but I hope you are."

"Who was the executioner?"

"Don't know. He was some spiky-haired Lakitu, I think. Anyway, won't you figure out when you have to go?"

"That reminds me, I have to go, too! In an hour! My doom is in an hour!"

"I sincerely hope you don't die. I don't think I can bear to look, though."

One hour later, Toad was in the execution chamber, having steeled his nerves for that event ever since the lists came on the walls.

"Bring on the punishment!" Bowser bellowed from the window.

The executioner hovered solemnly to the chamber's entrance, carrying a rope in his hands.

"Oh goody, at least it's not beheading," Toad muttered when he saw the rope.

"This rope is supposed to be for hanging you," the executioner forcefully said when he heard the comment. "And this platform near here is supposed to help."

"Get him on the platform!" Bowser Jr. impatiently screamed.

The executioner shoved Toad onto the platform and tied the rope onto his victim's head.

"There, now that's good," the executioner said to himself as he tied the final knot. "You should be dying pretty soon."

"Five…" Bowser started to count.

Bowser didn't even reach "two" when the executioner lowered the platform.

As Toad felt himself going down, the rope slipped to the top of his head. He felt shaken, but luckily not dead. Then he saw a Spiny coming at him, and he just dodged before it hit the floor.

"I heard it touch the floor," the executioner commented at Bowser. "As I'm pretty good at aiming, I don't think he's dead."

"Then pull him up and try again," Bowser boomed from the window.

The executioner was forced to pull Toad up, re-raise the platform, retie the knot, and try again.

Foiled! Toad's head kept on slipping through. The executioner realized that when he threw another Spiny into the hole.

"What should I do?" the executioner exclaimed. "I don't think that last one was a fluke."

"Try again," Bowser bellowed.

The executioner tried again and again until the rope wore and snapped.

Crash! Toad felt himself falling swiftly to the floor. When he landed, he ached where he hit the ground, but he didn't think he broke any bones.

"Drat, the rope broke," the executioner cried. "Should I fish him out of that pit?"

"Yes, and get another rope!" Bowser relentlessly yelled.

The executioner flew into the storeroom, grabbed a rope, got Toad out, and continued the hanging.

Two hours, fifty tries, and six ropes later, Toad was still not dead. By then, both the executioner and Bowser were getting aggravated.

"He's still not dead, and I've hanged him as many times as I can," the executioner complained.

"Rawgh, I'm tired, too," Bowser muttered in reply. "And I don't want to prepare you for trying anything else. Fine, let him go, but I'm placing him in position 1502. And remember to execute him at that time, all right?"

"Okay, I'll let him go," the executioner replied a little wearily.

The executioner drew up the rope, re-raised the platform, and untied the knot, which had managed to slide onto the top of Toad's head.

"Fine, I'm only doing this because Bowser's tired of it," the executioner said as he untied the knot, "but you're still going to be killed later!"

"Hey, haven't I heard of you before?" Toad asked as he managed to get his first good look at his almost-murderer. "I think Mario told me about you from that Paper Mario adventure, didn't you?"

"Yes, but—" The executioner was soon interrupted by Toad.

"Hold on. I'm trying to get your name. Mario said…your name…was…Lakilester?"

"Darn, how many times have I told everyone not to call me that?" Lakilester howled when he was found out. "My…name…is…SPIKE!"

Toad was about to protest with "Fine, be that way," but instead he asked, "And why exactly did you take this job?"

Lakilester responded, "I had to if I wanted to stay alive, and believe me, I do. Bowser said that if anyone filled up his new job slot, they would be spared from his hit list, so I joined to protect Lakilulu and I. Now we're both safe from the list. But if I don't do a good (or at least obedient) job, we'll probably be back on it."

"How about you try to rescue Peach and Daisy so this whole list becomes pointless?" Toad offered. "At least I'll have plenty of time because I've got a temporary reprieve…"

"I'm not so sure if I can do it," Lakilester replied. "I don't know how to keep my life unless I'm present in this job. And I need to accumulate a reputation, so I'll still have to stay here."

"But I can get a substitute!" Toad cried. "I don't it'll take long…"

"Well, I guess helping people is always good," Lakilester pondered. "I might go if you do what you said. That way, at least we won't get killed."

"Glad you accepted," Toad said. "Also, we're going to join Yoshi on this. I think he'll accept the offer, too, as he's one of my friends."

"Friends?" Lakilester asked incredulously. "That guy who I tried to execute a few weeks ago was your friend!"

"Yes," Toad answered. "And so was Mario, who I think at one point was also your friend…Why didn't you spare him?"

"Well, he offered, but I had to refuse because I still had to keep Bowser impressed. Besides, it's not that I could come up with an excuse for letting him go, as Bowser told me to electrocute him on the chair."

"Should we go, then?" Toad asked. "I'd rather we get this rescue done as soon as we can."

"Guess so," Lakilester answered. "I won't be killing anyone else today, thankfully."

"We'd better get to Yoshi, then," Toad said.

They both left the chamber and headed for Toad's car. Bowser noticed that his executioner and victim left a little later than usual, but didn't think anything weird was going on.

"Must I buckle up?" Lakilester asked when he went into the car.

"I know it's tough for you Lakitus, but it's a lot safer that way," Toad replied friendlily.

A few minutes later, they arrived at Yoshi's house. Actually, it was Mario's, Luigi's, Toad's, Yoshi's, Baby Mario's, and Baby Luigi's house, but four out of the six once-inhabitants were already dead.

"Yoshi, do you want to join us on our rescue mission?" Toad asked.

"All right, but who are we rescuing and who is that guy with you?" Yoshi asked in reply.

"We're rescuing the obvious," Toad answered, "and this guy is Laki—"

"SPIKE!" Lakilester shouted at the mere mention of his real name.

"…Well, at any rate, he's offered to help us," Toad continued. "I think he'll be friendly, as Mario has talked about him before. In a positive way."

"So this guy's named Lakispike?" Yoshi asked, puzzled.

"Actually, no. His real name's Laki—"

"It's Spike! How many times do I have to tell you guys?"

"…lester, but he prefers to be called Spike."

"Okay, so I guess we're rescuing Peach with him?" Yoshi asked.

"And Daisy. She's kidnapped, too," Toad explained.

"All right, we're rescuing them both. But is there going to be a six-month-long snag?" Yoshi asked again.

"Maybe not six months, but yes, there is one," Toad said. "We're going to find him a substitute executioner before we can go rescue them."

"Sheesh, but how?" Yoshi exclaimed. "I don't there's many Lakitus with spiky hair…"

"You'll be surprised," Lakilester commented. "Then again, I don't think anyone has my hairstyle."

"I think we can make someone have such a hairstyle," Toad consoled.

"All right, but just one thing. How am I going to tell Lakilulu this?" Lakilester asked.

"We'll be searching Flower Fields first," Toad responded.

"All right then, shouldn't we get going?" Yoshi suggested, as he had already made his decision and he was going to stand by it.

"Yes, we will. Now, for Flower Fields!" Toad pronounced.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer:...Repeat. But there's more. I have all rights to Minty Garden and multi-coins as currency, but none for Mushroom City, Mihn T., Ruff Puffs, Lakilulu (and Lakilester), the Bubble Flower (and anything involving the word Bubble), and any others that may sound unfamiliar.

* * *

The three of them soon arrived in Mushroom City's famous Minty Garden. The whole place, as usual, reeked of strong mints.

"I thought that the door to Flower Fields was supposed to be in Toad Town," Lakilester commented.

"The name changed to Mushroom City as soon as the population hit a million," Toad explained. "It changed to that because it wasn't just Toads that lived there anymore."

"At any rate, we'd better do this quick," Yoshi remarked.

The three got out of the kart and into the garden.

"Five multi-coins for admission," the Toad cashier said in a monotone voice.

Toad got out the required multi-coins and led them all in the garden.

"All right, where is the door?" Lakilester asked impatiently. "This garden looks completely different…"

"It _has_ been five years since," Toad emphasized. "And I think the door's still up. It's somewhere in the middle of the garden, I know it is…"

After nearly half an hour of stumbling around the huge garden, the threesome finally found the door. They also found Mihn T. working on it.

"Painting the door, aren't you?" Yoshi asked.

"Of course I am," Mihn T. replied. "Can't you see its peeling old paint?"

"Can you please open the door?" Toad asked pleadingly. "We have some very important business to do."

"And this 'very important business' is…" Mihn T. mocked.

"Well, it involves rescuing the princesses," Toad replied.

"Whoa, you are trying to rescue them?" Mihn T. exclaimed incredulously. "Of course you can, then. I'll open it."

After Mihn T. opened the door, the three of them walked through it and entered Flower Fields.

"Oh, my heartwood!" a huge tree in Flower Fields suddenly shouted. "What happened in there?"

The three of them then opened a door and came out of that tree. The tree then apologized, "Oh, I'm sorry. I haven't had anyone travel to Flower Fields this way for so long. Why not try the airplane?"

"We needed to save time," Toad answered.

"Sorry, right on ahead," the tree replied.

As the threesome walked into Flower Fields, they all saw six paths come out of their patch of the field.

"Hold on…which way did you say Lakilulu was?" Toad asked.

"I never said we had to search for her first," Lakilester answered, "but she's that way." He pointed to the path that went southwest.

"Hey, isn't that the Bubble Flower's path?" Toad asked, and then continued, "How are we ever going to get a Bubble Berry?"

"Don't worry, I can swim, as I already proved to him," Yoshi replied as he pointed to Lakilester.

"I can jolt that tree into giving a berry anytime," Lakilester suggested.

"Hey, can you swim?" Yoshi asked everyone.

"Nope," Toad answered.

"Me neither," Lakilester responded, "and I can't go to the Bubble Tree's island because I'll sink to the lake's level if I ever try to cross."

"And that means…" Yoshi asked, puzzled.

"That means I'll drop to the bottom if I ever try to cross," Lakilester answered. "And that's not funny."

"Let's go, then," Toad said with authority as he yanked the others toward the eastern path.

They all went to the Bubble Tree and its huge lake. The three of them stopped at a wooden platform.

"Hey, what's that for?" Yoshi asked.

"Apparently, we can land here," Toad answered. "There's another one of those over there."

"Right, so what's the strategy?" Yoshi asked.

"I think I've got it," Lakilester proclaimed. "Yoshi can swim over to the Bubble Tree (you can go too, Toad), then I throw a Spiny at the tree. One of those berries will probably drop, and then Yoshi picks it up and swims back. If anyone else knows how to handle Spinies safely, he can give the Spiny back to me. Okay?"

"Fine," Yoshi accepted as he swam from the platform.

Yoshi swam (leaving Toad with Lakilester) to the Bubble Tree. When he arrived, Lakilester threw a Spiny at the tree. It hit, causing a Bubble Berry to drop and hit the ground. Yoshi picked the berry up before the Spiny could eat it, then shouted across the gap, "How do I give the Spiny to you?"

"If you don't know, then you can just swim back," Lakilester shouted back. "Just make sure the Spiny doesn't get you."

Yoshi jumped straight into the water and swam back as fast as he could. The Spiny chased the green reptile to the shore, then waddled hopelessly back to the tree.

"Good, there's no water in the berry," Lakilester commented when Yoshi came back. "I think the Bubble Flower will accept it."

They all walked out of the lake and along the southwest path. The Bubble Flower was waiting for them.

"I heard a Bubble Berry drop a few minutes ago," the Bubble Flower chirped in a bubbly voice. "Is that for me?"

"Guess so," Lakilester answered as he gave the berry to the Bubble Flower.

"Thank you," the Bubble Flower muttered as she ate the berry and spat out two huge bubbles. They were more than big enough to hold Toad and Yoshi combined.

"Thank _you_," Lakilester emphasized as Toad and Yoshi pondered how to get in the bubbles.

"How do we get in?" Toad asked.

"It's not that fragile!" Lakilester responded. "Just jump in and it'll hold you."

Toad and Yoshi decided to be brave and jumped into the bubbles. The bubbles held, then floated across the sea of thorns. Lakilester followed the bubbles, and then outstripped them as he glided ahead.

When Lakilester got across, the bubbles suddenly dropped Toad and Yoshi onto grassy land—and on top of a Ruff Puff.

"Yowch!" the Ruff Puff screamed as it got the wind knocked out of its lungs. "What's with you landing on me like that?"

"Gah, the Ruff Puffs are still here?" Lakilester cried in astonishment. "I thought they all went with Huff n' Puff!"

The Ruff Puff then flew toward the trio. In desperation, Yoshi spat water into the Ruff Puff's face, and Lakilester threw as many Spinies as he could at the Ruff Puff. This worked, as the Ruff Puff quickly collapsed and disappeared.

"Neat!" Yoshi exclaimed as he saw the Ruff Puff vanish.

"I think we had better continue," Toad remarked as Lakilester picked up his Spinies.

They all went southwest, following the path. Then Toad asked, "So where exactly is Lakilulu?"

"She's this way," Lakilester responded. "I'll show you."

They all continued on the path. Suddenly, Lakilester stopped near a patch of flowers.

"Lakilulu! I didn't expect you here!" Lakilester cried in surprise.

"And I didn't expect you to be back so soon," Lakilulu replied. "Why now?"

"A bit of a change of heart," Lakilester replied. "These guys convinced me to help them rescue the princesses, even though I'm still supposed to lop others' heads off. And no, I'm not supposed to kill them next week."

"At least we're not killing others," Lakilulu sighed with relief. "But isn't it dangerous? Les, don't kill yourself!"

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?" Lakilester cried with a touch of knowing futility. "And anyway, I am not committing suicide. At least that chance's less with them around."

"I'm not sure whether I should go with you," Lakilulu considered. "It's a bit dangerous, but I don't want you to be gone…"

"And I don't want you to be gone, either," Lakilester replied.

After a long and pregnant pause, Lakilulu finally decided, "I'm going with you. At least if we're going down, we're going down together!"

The four of them went back up the path, hopeful that they could rescue the princesses and stop the killings before it was too late. But there was no uncertainty in their minds that something always got in their way.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Some of the names and locations in this story are purely created by me. You have been warned. I actually own something! Muahahaha!

(pause) Anyway, back to normal.

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**Chapter 4**

The four of them wandered around in Flower Fields, although Lakilester clearly had a sense of purpose in this place.

"We're going to find someone to replace me, that's what we're doing," Lakilester declared, his voice gaining a steely edge.

"Can't I get a souvenir first?" Yoshi complained. "Like a Bubble Berry or something?"

"You can get them afterward!" Lakilester cried. "And I think I know someone who'll gladly take the job…he's this way."

The quartet finally stopped wandering and headed for a pair of Lakitus with spiky hair. One of those Lakitus had hair exactly like Lakilester's.

"You heard of the new castle security at Bowser's?" one of the Lakitus whispered to the other. "We have to _sing_ the first movement of Ludwig's newest sonata, dang it! I wonder what they'll do next…"

"I wonder whether I should work there," the other one replied just as the foursome interrupted him. "Hey! Hi! Haven't seen _you_ for a while!" he greeted, a bit flustered by Lakilester's intrusion.

"Haven't seen you too, Pierce!" Lakilester responded.

"Any beef?" Pierce, the one with hair like Lakilester's, asked.

"Actually, yes," Lakilester answered. "Listen, this is very important. You remember hearing that I took the executioner's job in Bowser's service?"

"Yes," Pierce murmured in reply.

"Anyway, I've decided to take a little bit of a vacation break. Killing's a bit stressful, after all. You think you can sub in for me for that time?"

"Could. But for how long?"

"I'm not entirely certain. I haven't checked with the airlines yet, but it'll take at least a few weeks."

"A few weeks? That's at least three people I'm going to kill…but I'll accept."

"Good. You know the directions to Peach's castle?"

"Yes, or at least Blitz here knows."

"All right. Sorry for telling you, Pierce."

"I don't personally mind at all."

After Lakilester got that over with, Toad asked him, "Did you overhear what that Lakitu said about Bowser's security measures?"

"No," Lakilester replied. "Is it important?"

"Yes," Toad answered. "I'm pretty sure he said that someone has to sing someone named Ludwig's newest sonata in front of Bowser's security system in order to enter. Can anyone here carry a tune better than I can?"

"I've been in the Lakitu Academy Choir," Lakilulu replied.

"Well, she can, but that's not the important part," Yoshi pronounced with conviction. "The important thing is that we need to actually hear this Ludwig's newest sonata. It could be the catchiest song in the kingdom, but we need to hear it in order to have a clue of what it sounds like. We better get concert tickets."

"There's some brochures in the Mushroom City Ticket Station. We could investigate those," Toad suggested.

"All right, but after that, are we just marching over to the Koopa Kingdom?" Yoshi badgered.

"Yes. It'll take a long time, anyway," Toad responded.

"Now where's this Mushroom City Ticket Station?" Lakilester asked.

"I'll get over there," Toad replied.

After crossing the thorny crevasse, passing through the tree, and running out of the garden, the four of them hopped into Toad's and Yoshi's karts and drove to the Mushroom City Ticket Station.

At the building's entrance, there was a collection of flyers. Those flyers were from all over the Mushroom Kingdom, be it Mushroom City, Lakitu Valley, or Petalburg.

"Hey, it's even got the Lil'Mak concerts!" Lakilulu exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Toad was ploughing through the brochures, pamphlets, and flyers. He didn't have much luck at first. "Pop…rock…Impressionist…the Alphard Art Museum…jazz…rap…Baby Park…Waterville…Lavalava Tourist Agency…the Excess Express…here's the classical music!" He then quickly scanned through the brochure. "Nope, none of them are from this Ludwig. More Impressionist…Imported Baroque…Neoclassical…Romanza…ah, yes, Ludwig's music!" He then picked up the pamphlet and skipped through it. "Hey everyone, look at this!"

As everyone gazed at the pamphlet, Toad began to read. "Koobert, one of the three Classical Masters of this era, is playing on May 8 (that's in three days). He will play a selection of recently composed Classical pieces. These include Felix T.'s Finale in A minor, the same Toad's Minuet and Trio in D flat major, Koobert's own Rondo in D minor, Ludwig von Koopa's Theme and Variations in B major, and—get this!" Everyone gasped at what was to follow. "Ludwig's newest piece, his Sonata in A flat minor!"

"I can't believe it's this easy!" Yoshi cried incredulously.

"Ludwig von Koopa must be popular," Toad replied, saying the Spikoopa's name as if he's just learned the full version. "And we better get the tickets. At least the offices are still open."

They all rushed to the ticket booths, each of whom were handled by a Goomba clerk.

"Welcome to the Mushroom City Ticket Station," the Goomba proclaimed in a friendly voice. "May I take your order?"

"Yes," Toad confidently answered. "We'd like a ticket each for the Nova Classical Masters concert. The May 8 one, please."

"All right," the Goomba replied, businesslike. She ran to the back and soon came back with a pile of tickets. "Here are the tickets for that show. Now, what are the ages?"

"Two youths and, I presume, two adults?" Lakilester started, but his voice trailed off by the end.

"Two youths and two adults, please," Toad assured.

The Goomba tore out tickets from two of the stacks and handed them to Toad.

"Four multi-coins and thirty coins, please," the Goomba declared.

Toad took out his wallet and handed the Goomba the requisite currency.

"Thank you for your business," the Goomba declared as the foursome left the booth.

Toad quickly scanned through the tickets as soon as he got them. "All right, we're seeing this show in…the…Fortress Estates in the Azure Concert Hall. That place is in Bombastica, which is about fifty kilometres from here. That's fairly nearby. We can reach there in an hour. Now we have two days of absolutely nothing to do. What do we do then?"

"Do we know the route we're taking to the Koopa Kingdom?" Yoshi asked.

"Sort of," Toad replied. "We're taking a plane to Tratsvilla, which has the only airport in the Koopa Kingdom with traffic to and from the Mushroom Kingdom. After that, we're going to the capital city, which is Koopital, and when we get there, we're going to Bowser's castle. Thing is, we can't even rent a kart and drive to Koopital, since much of the Koopa Kingdom doesn't have any roads. We need to figure out how to get from Tratsvilla to Koopital."

"And we need airplane tickets," Yoshi stated.

"We'd better buy them, then, but when?" Toad asked.

"How about tomorrow?" Yoshi proposed. "We've already driven enough."

"Okay then, we're going home for now. You two want to go to a hotel or stay at our place?"

"I'm sticking it safe and going for a hotel," Lakilester replied.

"Me too," Lakilulu agreed.

"Okay, which hotel do you want to go to?" Toad asked. "There's the Sky High Tower, the Red Road Hotel, the Golden Inn, the Stately Mushroom…"

"Are any of them for us Lakitus?" Lakilester asked.

"The Sky High Tower's perfect for flying species, or so it says," Toad replied.

"Think it's a good idea?" Lakilester asked Lakilulu.

"Could be," Lakilulu responded.

"We're going," Lakilester told Toad.

"All right, we'll drive you there. Yoshi, you know the directions?"

"Yes. We keep on having to drive Paraki there…"

"Okay, we're driving to that hotel."

The four them went back to Toad's and Yoshi's karts and drove to the Sky High Tower. After dropping the two Lakitus off, Toad and Yoshi drove back home.

"We're going to the airport tomorrow, right?" Toad made sure.

"Yes," Yoshi confirmed.

"Okay. I'm getting tired. Are you?"

"Yeah. It's nighttime. I can't believe it."

The two of them headed for home and prepared for bed, looking forward to the various events that would happen in the days ahead.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: La, la, la...I don't want to repeat it, okay?

Note: In case you couldn't tell, Felix T. is named after Mendelssohn and Koobert is named after Schubert. Well, go Romantic...

* * *

**Chapter 5**

The next day, Toad and Yoshi headed for the airport together. They took Yoshi's kart all the way there.

Once they got there, they immediately headed for the ticket stall. A young Lakitu was there, hovering next to a few Toads and a Paratroopa.

"How do you do?" the Lakitu asked Toad and Yoshi.

"Good," Toad replied. "Anyway, we're ordering tickets to Tratsvilla. After May 8, please."

"How many?" the Lakitu asked on.

"Four seats, please, preferably all together, but I can accept blocks of two," Toad responded.

"Okay, then, which flight? There's a Cloud Valley Airlines flight to there on May 9, leaving at 5:00 PM and arriving at 8:00 PM. Or you can take the Kingdom Air one on May 10, leaving at 3:30 PM and arriving at 6:30 PM. Or you can try the Darkland Flights one also on May 9, leaving at 8:45 AM and arriving at 11:45 AM…"

"Any in the early afternoon on May 9?"

"Oh! There's the Kingdom Air flight on May 9, leaving at 2:35 PM and arriving 5:35 PM."

"I'll take it."

"Here's its seating plan so far. Please pick the seats you like."

Toad picked a whole row of seats that went straight across the airplane. It was, as usual, economy class.

"All right, that costs 30 multi-coins for a one-way flight. Taking one?"

Toad immediately handed over the multi-coins, as if he were answering with a "yes".

"All right, here's the one-way tickets," the Lakitu replied as he handed Toad four tickets. "Check in at 12:35 PM. Go through security at 2:05 PM at the latest. You've picked seats R1, R2, R3, and R4 in Economy Class."

Toad and Yoshi left with the tickets and walked back to Yoshi's kart.

"Okay, now what?" Yoshi asked when the two of them got home.

"I guess since we have time, I'd better find out how to get from Tratsvilla to Koopital. We only have to pick up the Lakitus the day after tomorrow."

"I'll find out, too," Yoshi replied.

The two of them scanned their books, flipped through their encyclopaedias, and searched with Mario and Luigi's computer. This took up the rest of their day, Finally, Toad decided to discuss his admittedly meagre findings with Yoshi.

"Those books and encyclopaedias had nothing, but at least the Triple-W Web had something," Toad conferred.

"Yeah, it did," Yoshi agreed. "The Shroom Sweeper search engine was so helpful!"

"I tried the Zipfire one and it didn't turn out too well," Toad remarked. "Anyway, from what I got from it, the most direct path from Tratsvilla to Koopital has a forest, grassland, and lava plain in its way. It's going to take a while to cross that, and we'll probably have to battle many times. And you?"

"I got lots," Yoshi responded gleefully. "As for the enemies in our most direct path, there are Embers, Dark Puffs, Crazee Dayzees, unfriendly Lakitus, Pale Piranhas, Fuzzies, Spinies, Spike Tops, Boldberries, Spinegalls, and much more! We'll have to research how to fight all of them."

"I wish Goombario or Goombella were here," Toad sighed.

"From what I heard, Goombario's 16th on Bowser's list," Yoshi commented. "Besides, I don't think even they know about most of the enemies on my list." He paused and continued. "Also, there are a few towns where we can rest and restock along the way. There's Roranville, Flowerton, and Darkital, in the order we'll probably be visiting them. Darkital's the biggest of them, but it's the most hostile to Mushroom Kingdom tourists like us. Anyway, we should bring some items with us. I'll bring some of my fruits, but what are you bringing?"

"Some various shrooms and a couple of Mushroom Bombs," Toad answered, then continued, "We'd better tell the Lakitus about our findings."

"Day after tomorrow or tomorrow?" Yoshi asked.

"I guess day after. Don't we only have to pick them up by then?"

"I guess so."

The next day, Toad and Yoshi packed up for their big trip with Lakilester and Lakilulu. Yoshi drove to his store, did his business, put up a "Closed Indefinitely" sign, and brought home some fruits from near his store. Toad rounded up his supplies, packed non-perishable food, and started researching the enemies on Yoshi's list.

When Yoshi came back, he researched too. Eventually, they both came up with a glut of information.

"Okay, so Spinegalls look like round green balls with spines and Boldberries look like bulbous blue berries, as far as I could get with Zipfire. What did you get?"

"I tried Shroom Sweeper and it was great!" Yoshi enthusiastically replied. "From what I got about fighting Spinegalls, those things are weak to others' spines. I guess a couple Spinies would work. As for Boldberries, those things are weak to spikes and high heights. We could drop them from a tree or something."

"The Lakitus would be very helpful," Toad remarked when he heard this.

"I also found battle strategies for a few more enemies," Yoshi continued. "For Lava Spiders, you send good supplies of ice at them. Impoids are very quick, but they go down with a First Strike. And as for Sun Orbs, covering them so they can't send out their light is very helpful."

"That's good, but what do those enemies look like?"

"I printed off pictures of them, as seen here. Too bad we don't have a colour printer."

"I hope black-and-white is good enough…"

They both looked at the labelled pictures. They stared at them for a long time to remember the images. After that, they took showers, brushed their teeth, and went to bed.

May 8 dawned, and Toad collected their tickets to the Nova Classical Masters concert. He checked the facts on it.

"It's at 2:30 PM," Toad said. "We still have time."

"Why not pick up the Lakitus first?" Yoshi suggested.

"Okay!" Toad cheerfully replied, and they drove their karts to the Sky High Tower. They were about to buy some visitor tickets when they saw Lakilester and Lakilulu in the main lobby.

"How was your time in Mushroom City?" Toad asked.

"Fine," Lakilester replied. "We went to the Arh T. Art Museum. I thought it would be boring, but it actually wasn't bad."

"I saw one of the Lil'Mak concerts," Lakilulu eagerly chirped.

"Now those are boring," Lakilester muttered, almost inaudibly. "Yes, I got dragged along," he grumbled to Toad and Yoshi.

"We got airplane tickets and did some research on where we're going," Yoshi said. "Our flight's on May 9 at 2:35 PM. And after we land in Tratsvilla, we have to go through a forest, a plain, and some lava fields to Koopital."

"Any enemies?" Lakilulu asked. "Hopefully, we won't die fighting them…"

"Unfortunately, lots," Yoshi answered. "You won't have heard of most of them, so I'll tell you about them later. There are also a few towns along the way, but the one closest to Koopital's the most hostile to guys like us."

"I'm not sure how much my cred will affect them," Lakilester though out loud.

"At any rate, that's the summary. We packed food and Toad here's packed some small Mushroom Bombs for offence. You need to pack anything?"

"I think the Spinies and Cloudsheep food will be enough," Lakilester answered.

"I think so, too," Lakilulu also responded.

"Good. We'll be seeing the concert in Bombastica by 2:30. That means we'll have to go about now, since it's fifty kilometres from here. You want to go with us?"

"Of course!" the two Lakitus replied, with Lakilester's reply sounding as if the answer was obvious.

"I know where the concert is," Toad said.

"Good. We're following Toad, okay?" Yoshi commanded.

The four of them went to Toad and Yoshi's karts, with the usual difficult buckling-up. Toad led the way, with Yoshi's green kart following close behind. Within an hour, they reached Bombastica, driving to the Fortress Estates parking lot.

"Good! We're here, and we're a bit early," Toad said, relieved.

"All right, where are we supposed to go?" Lakilester asked.

"The Azure Contest Hall's this way," Toad pointed, as the foursome looked at where Toad was pointing and followed his way.

They all arrived in the Azure Contest Hall, and a Bob-omb was at the ticket booth.

"Would you BOOM offer your BOOM tickets, please?" the Bob-omb said with a heavy accent.

"This guy must be from Fahr Outpost," Toad murmured as he gave the Bob-omb the four tickets.

"Thank BOOM you," the Bob-omb accepted as he handled the tickets. "You may BOOM proceed."

The quartet rushed into the open doors of the stage entrance, as a couple Cheep Cheeps and a Noki did the same. They managed to settle themselves down in their seats before the lights darkened, the doors closed, and the show began.

A bright-yellow-shelled Koopa Troopa entered the stage, which contained a grand piano, and spoke. "Ladies, gentlemen, and genderless," he announced, "I am Koobert, and I am here to perform ten choice pieces of this modern neoclassical era. The order will be as shown in your pamphlets."

"Good thing I picked up one," Toad whispered as he held up the pamphlet. "The sonata's eighth, everyone."

Koobert then seated himself and started to play Felix T.'s Finale in A minor. The audience (including a particularly impatient young Bob-omb) immediately quieted down as the notes spread throughout the hall.

After the finale, two minuet and trios, a theme and variations, two rondos, and a regular sonata-allegro, Koobert finally played the Sonata in A flat minor. As he played, Toad and Lakilulu frantically tried humming along, as the sonata had a fast tempo and a furious atmosphere.

"No wonder Bowser selected this one," Lakilester commented.

After the sonata-allegro ended, Toad (with his naturally keen hearing) noticed some other members of the audience humming the melody. "Looks like we aren't alone," he muttered to Yoshi.

One march and Ludwig von Koopa's Study in Rhythm later, Koobert was done, and the concert was over. As everyone left the concert hall, Toad noticed some Clubbas still humming the melody. Lakilulu was humming it, too.

"I think I can remember the sonata very well," Toad remarked.

"Good thing you can," Yoshi responded. "Lakilulu can't seem to remember it without humming the grating thing all the time…" His voice escalated as he went along.

"You might want to try it more quietly," Lakilester told Lakilulu. Apparently, he was also a bit annoyed with Lakilulu's humming, though he tried to hide that.

"At least that's done," Yoshi sighed, relieved that they had seen the concert and that Lakilulu had lowered her volume. "The flight's tomorrow, right?"

"Right," Toad confirmed.

"Well, onward forward!" Yoshi exclaimed as they headed back to Mushroom City.


End file.
